Max Minshull
Associate Specialist
LOT 10
1991 Bancroft Roadster Coachwork by GFG-Exklusiv-Cars, Gronau Chassis no. 3800011A000042 Engine no. R1161551135
Sold for US$31,360 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve
Lot 10
1991 Bancroft Roadster
1991 Bancroft Roadster
Coachwork by GFG-Exklusiv-Cars, Gronau
Chassis no. 3800011A000042
Engine no. R1161551135
Coachwork by GFG-Exklusiv-Cars, Gronau
Chassis no. 3800011A000042
Engine no. R1161551135
4,973cc Mercedes-Benz M119 SOHC V8
Bosch Jetronic
Approximately 322 horsepower at 5,700rpm
Four-Speed Automatic Transmission
Independent Front and Multi-Link Rear Suspension
Four-Wheel Disc Brakes
* Coachbuilt in the 1930s idiom designed by American racing driver Hugh Bancroft
* Produced under the patronage of Graf and Gräfin Beissel von Gymnich
* Single family ownership from new; stored for c. 25–30 years in a climate-controlled private garage in Costa Mesa, California
* Acquired by the current vendor directly from the son of the original owner
* A rare and genuine piece of low-volume German coachbuilding history
THE BANCROFT
Introduced in 1991, the Bancroft Roadster was the creation of American racing driver and designer Hugh Bancroft, who set out to reinterpret the elegant, long-hooded roadsters of the 1930s through the lens of contemporary German engineering.
Production was entrusted to GFG-Exklusiv-Cars GmbH of Gronau, Westphalia — the same specialist coachworks responsible for the equally rare Elisar — and each car was completed under the patronage of Graf and Gräfin Beissel von Gymnich, whose name lent the project both cachet and continuity with Germany's coachbuilding tradition. Although a limited series of 300 cars was originally announced, commercial realities intervened, and production halted after around just ten examples had been built between 1991 and 1993, at a new price of between DM 300,000 and DM 396,000 — a sum that placed the Bancroft firmly among the most expensive German cars of its day.
Beneath its traditionally styled aluminum and steel coachwork, the Bancroft was thoroughly modern. Power was delivered by a 5.0-litre OHC derived from Mercedes-Benz running gear mated to a four-speed automatic transmission with driver-selectable sport and economy modes. A lambda-controlled three-way catalytic converter ensured the car met the emissions standards of the day without compromising the effortless, long-legged character for which its donor powertrain was known.
THE CAR OFFERED
This example is offered by only its second private owner, having reportedly been acquired directly from Hugh Bancroft's family. Their personal Bancroft remained in their climate-controlled private garage in Costa Mesa, California for approximately twenty-five to thirty years before its sale to the current vendor — a long period of static, indoor storage that goes some way toward explaining the car's exceptional originality and notably low recorded mileage. At the time of purchase the family reportedly still retained what appeared to be a full-size wooden styling buck associated with the Bancroft project, together with several original transport crates and related ephemera that had remained with the collection for decades further reinforcing the provenance of this particular Bancroft.
With a total production run in the single digits, this Bancroft Roadster represents a rare opportunity to acquire a genuine, well-preserved piece of low-volume German coachbuilding history — a car engineered with the substance of a Mercedes-Benz and dressed with the romance of a 1930s Grand Tourer.
Saleroom notices
Please note, the engine number is 116.985-12-008687.
Additional information
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